Billet feeder



Oct. 21, 1947. R. M. RAWLINSON ET AL 2,429,525

BILLET FEEDER Filed Dec. 17, 1945 s Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTORS RAY I1.RAWLINSON BY LEIGH H. PH/LLEQ 11.004 8. #MIQ ATTORNEY Oct. 21, 1947. R.M. RAWLINSON ET AL 2,429,525

BILLET FEEDER Filed D80. 17, 1945 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 2-". 1O 1 -rz j l l*2 l l L.J v' i L- :2 756' INVENTORS RAY r1. RAWLINSON ,L Y LEIGH H.PH/LLEO.

/lwdmw ATTORNEY Oct. 21, 1947. R. M, RAWLINSQN ET AL 2,429,525

BILLET FEEDER Filed Dec. 17, 1943 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 J 7 L i tn r6? (.70

INVENTORS RAY ".RAWLINSON i9- LEIG H H. PHILLEO.

ATTORN EY Patented at. 23, Ed?

UNIT

BILLET FEEDER Ray M. Rawlinson,

Philleo, Bellflower,

Walnut Park, and Leigh H. Callf., assignors to Aluminum Company ofAmerica, Pittsburgh, Pa., a corporation of Pennsylvania ApplicationDecember 17, 1948, Serial No. 514,620

(Cl. 207--!&)

14 Claims. 1

The invention herein disclosed relates more particularly to chargingapparatus for extrusion presses of a type designed to perform anextrusion operation upon a charge in yte form of a heated metal billet,and it aims to rovide a billet charger or feeder structure of simplifiedand improved for for bringing a billet and dummy block into 38 mm forcharging into the press container or ylinder by forward movement of thepress ram.

Another object of the invention is to Provide a billet feedercharacterized by being oscillatable pendulum fashion in a planeparalleling the face of the charge container and which shall leave theworking area about the press in the vicinity of the charging zonepractically free and clear of obstruction, and further, which shall beeffective to swing back out of charging position without interfer ncewith the advanced plunger.

Another object is to provide a feeder of the type referred td with novelmeans for adjusting the same for effectively handling billets of variousdiameters and bringing them to charging position in accurate alignmentwith the bore of the container.

Further objects of the invention are to provide a feeder structure thatis associated with the press container and is readily removabletherefrom to facilitate working on the container, to provide means forregulating the rate of swing of the billet carrier of the feeder so thatthe billet or the dummy block will not be thrown out of the carrier byabrupt termination of movement thereof, to provide novel gauge and stopmeans for the billet carrier in its billet receiving or loading positionat one side of the press, to provide means to actuate the feederautomatically in response to movements of the press ram, and to providea practicable feeder which shall be readily installed and used withexisting extrusion presses of various constructions without structuralchanges to them.

Additional objects and advantages of the invention will hereinafterappear.

In the drawings illustrating one embodiment of the invention,

Fig. 1 is a side elevational view of a press and associated feedermechanism;

Fig. 2 is a view on an enlarged scale taken on the line 2-2 of Figure 1;

Fig. 3 is a plan view of the structure of Figure 2;

Fig. 4 is a side elevational view of the structure of Figure 2;

Fig. 5 is a view on an enlarged scale taken on the line i-5 of Figure 1;

Fig. 6 is a side elevational view of thestructure shown in Figure 5;

Fig. 7 is an enlarged detailed view looking in the direction of thearrows '|-'l of Figure 5 showing the automatic control means responsiveto movement of the ram;

Fig. 8 is an enlarged end view of a portion of the cam and operatingmeans of Figures 5 and 6; and

Fig. 9 is a schematic view illustrating the control system.

The production of extruded products, such as extruded shapes, tubes,rods and the like, is effected by utilizing horizontal extrusionpresses. Such presses may vary somewhat in detail but, in general, theyinclude an hydraulically actuated ram that is provided with a plungerfor movement through the bore of a. container to extrude the charge ofmetal in the container through the die means. One form of such a pressis shown in Figure 1 and it comprises press end frames or housings l and2 suitably supported on a foundation or framework in horizontally spacedrelation. Tie or strain rods 3 rigidly connect he housings together. Theend frame 2 is forme with a horizontal cylinder 4 and carries a ram 5which is supported at one end by a cross head slide 6. The cross head 6carries a plunger 1. The cross head 6 may be suitably supported forsliding movement by shoes 8 movable along longitudinal supporting rails9. Pull-back cylinders 6a serveto retract the cross head, the ram andthe plunger after advancement thereof.

The housing I is designed to receive the die means therein indicatedgenerally by the numeral It, a locking member I i being provided to holdthe die means in operative position. The locking member H may be movedinto and out of locking relationship with the die means by means ofhydraulic cylinder mechanism l2. Rearwardly of the die means andconnected thereto is a runout table or support 13 adapted to receive andsupport the extrusion. A container unit or cylinder II is locatedbetween the die means In and the plunger 1 and is provided with ledgemembers I! at diametrically opposite sides thereof by means of which thecontainer may be supported on suitable stands or uprights l6 secured tothe foundation or base of the press. a

The container H, in conformity with the usual practice, is provided witha horizontal bore in which is positioned a liner I! having a bore l8therein constituting the extrusion chamber.

Before an extrusion operation can be effected it is necessary to chargea heated metal billet into the extrusion chamber I8. When the billetsare charged from the front or plunger side of the container |6'a billetis first brought into coaxial relationship with the charging chamber andthen introduced endwise therein. A dummy block also is charged into thechamber so that it will be disposed between the billet and the plunger.In order to carry out these charging operations, we provide a carrier20, as best seen in Figs. 2 and 3, that is adapted to be moved throughan arcuate path between a billet receiving or loading position A at oneside of the press and a central charging position B (Fig. 2). Thecarrier 20 is mounted on the lower extremity of a pendulum member 2|which is of substantially J-shape providing an offset end for mountingof the carrier thereon and is mounted at its upper end with its oflsetend facing toward the center line of the press, as shown, for swingingmovement across the face of the container H on a pivot pin 22. Thereby,the carrier 20 is disposed at the inner side of the member 2| in oifsetrelation to the upstanding leg thereof so that the latter will notinterfere with endwise charging of the billet into the extrusion chamber|8. Preferably, the pendulum member 2| comprises a pair of arms orelongated webs disposed in spaced relation and provided at theiropposite ends with hubs 23 and 24. The hub 23 of the member 2| rigidlycarries the pin 22, in fact, the pin 22 preferably .is welded to thehub, and the pin is journalled in a bearing sleeve 22a secured tosupporting member 25. The supporting member 25 is mounted for verticaladjusting movements on an upright standard or pedestal 26. The pedestal26 is suitably secured to the ledge or wing of the container l4.

Preferably, the upright 26 is tubular and the supporting member 25 isprovided with a vertical leg 21 slidably disposed within the upright 26.At opposite sides of the standard 26 are provided lugs, or wings, 28. AU-shaped member 29 is provided with cutout portions or slots in the legsthereof to fit over the wings 28, thereby detachably securing the member29 to the upright 26. A wedge plate 381s disposed intermediate the legsof the member 29 and extends through vertical slots 3| formed indiametrically opposite sides of the member 26. The leg 2'! is providedwith a verthe press. This vertical adjustment will be initially madewhen operating upon billets of a given diameter so that such billetswhen on the carrier 20 in charging position B will be verticallycentered coaxially of the charging chamber II. This adjustment, ofcourse, will only need be changed when operating upon billets of adifferent diameter so that such coaxial relationship in chargingposition will be established therefor.

In order to impart swinging movements to the carrier 20, an air cylinder36 is provided. It is ioumalled for swinging movement on a stub shaft 31secured to the supporting member 25. The piston therein actuates pistonrod 38 which is pivotally connected at 38 to lugs 40 on the arms 2|.Admittance of fluid pressure to the upper end of cylinder 36 forces thepiston downwardly and moves the carrier from its lateral loadingposition Ashown in broken lines in Fig. 2to its charging position B. Toswing the carrier in the opposite direction, that is, back to loadingposition A, fluid pressure is admitted to the lower end of the cylinder36. In either direction of operation pressure is maintained in thecylinder until it is desired to move the carrier to its other positionwhereby fluid pressure flow is merely reversed by a suitable reversingvalve and control means therefor, as hereinafter described.

- With theaxis of swinging movement thus vertically adjusted toaccommodate the size of billet being charged, means is provided to limitthe extent of inward swinging movement of the carrier 28 whereby it willbe stopped with its axis coinciding with a plane extending verticallythrough the center of the container l4. Such means comprises an angleplate 5| secured to the upper end of arms 2| and having a portion 52overlying the supporting member 25 and carrying an adjustable stop inthe form of a screw 53 for engaging the latter. During counterclockwisemovement of the arms 2|, the stop 53 will engage the member 25 and byadjusting the stop, swinging movement towards the charging position willbe terminated with the billet accurately located, as heretoforedescribed. Consequently, the billet on the carrier will, in chargingposition, be accurately aligned coaxially of the extrusion chamticalslot 32 (Fig. 4) through which the wedge plate 30 extends, the slot 32being open at the lower end of the leg. Thus, it will be seen that theleg of the supporting member 25 may be inserted into the upper end ofthe support 21 and slid downwardly therein. Upon obtaining alignmentbetween the slot 32 in the leg 21 and the wedge; plate 30, furtherdownward movement of the member 25 may be effected until'the upper edge33 of the wedge plate engages the wall defining the upper edge of theslot32. vThe surface of her |8.

The carrier 20 is of elongate trough-like form and preferably comprisesa pair of slats 42 paralleling each other and inclined to substantiallya V-shaped arrangement. The slats 42 are suitably secured to brackets 43secured to a sleeve 44. A stub shaft 45 is secured rigidly to the boss24 of'the swinging arms 2|, and it extends through the sleeve 44. At itsother end the shaft 45 car "ries a'roller 46 which is held in positionon the ,shaft by a collar 41. The sleeve 44 is confined against endwisemovement on the shaft by the the cam plate 30 is inclined to the horizontallso that by moving the plate 38 transversely oi the pedestal 26the supporting member 25niay shifted to various vertical positions.Arrad-i justing screw 34 is carried by the member29jand its inner endbears against the outer-end of -the. wedge plate. By turning the screw34 outwardly, I

f' "otal axis 45 while at rest and during swinging movement bodilybetween stations A and B.

of swinging movement of the carrier 20 is vertically adjusted withrespect to the center line of boss 24 at one end and the roller andcollar 4t -4l'at the other end of the shaft. A lug 48 is'carried byoneof the slats" and it has pivotal connection with one end of aparalleling link 49, the other end of the link being pivotally sebe'seen that this parallel link arrangement of cured'at '59 to thesupporting member 25. It will *the links 2| and 45 will maintain thepivotally supported carrier 2|! in a level position on its piv- Thisarrangement eliminates the need for the use of a carrier trough havingelongate sides to hold the billets against fallin sidewise from thecarrier, audit also enables the carrier by reason of its provisionsofshort transverse length to be moved out of charging position after .thebillet ha been moved into the charging chamber by the plunger 1 withoutthe slat 42 interfering or impinging against the advanced plunger. Inother words, if the slats 42 were extended. 11P- wardly far enough toafiord support to he billets to prevent them from rolling off sidewise,it would not be possible to swing the carrier 20 back to its loadingposition unless the carrier were first dropped far enough to clear suchsides from the advanced plunger 1.

In its loading position, the roller 45 of the carrier 20 is adapted toengage an arcuate portion of a vertically adjustable bar member 55, asshown more clearly in Fig. 2. Therbar 55 is slidably mounted in avertical guideway formed by two side strips 55 and front plate 51 whichare suitably secured to the outer end of an L- shaped bracket 58 securedto the wing or ledge l5, as shown more clearly in Fig. 4. An adjustingscrew 59 is carried by the plate 51 and bears against the lower end ofthe bar 55 whereby it may be moved and held in desired verticalpositions by actuation of the screw.

It will be noted from an inspection of Figs. 2, 3 and 4 that the carrier20 is supported at its end adjacent to the face of the container l4 andthat in the loading position of the carrier, the bar 55, through itsengagement with the roller 46, serves as a, steady rest for the carrierwhen a billet C and dummy block D are loaded thereon. Also, the carrieris rendered accessible for facile loading from above by reason of thearrangement of the links or arms 2| and 49 and the cylinder 35 in linetransversely and at the rear end of the carrier leaving the majorportion of the length of the carrier upwardly e posed and unobstructed.The vertical edge 60 of the bracket 58 is located slightly outwardlyfrom the planeof the face of the container l4 and thereby serves as agauge for the billets when they are positioned on the carrier. Thus, inloading the carrier it will be impossible to so position a billetthereon that during swinging towards charging position undesiredengagement of the billet with the container l4 would occur.

In operation of the feeder, assuming that the carrier 20 is located incharge receiving position A, heated billet B will be brought from thefurnace and set down on the carrier, and a dummy block D will also bepositioned on the carrier. At this time positioning of the billetagainst the surface 50 will assure its proper clearance from the face ofthe container l4 during swinging movement. Fluid pressure is thenadmitted to the upper end of cylinder 36, the lower end thereof beingconnected to exhaust, and swinging movement thereby imparted to the arms2| and 49 to swing the carrier to its central charging position B. Inorder to effect this operation automatically in relation to movement ofthe plunger 1, control means, as shown more clearly in Figs, 5 through8, are provided. As here shown, a fourway valve 62 of a rotary plug typeis provided to control flow to and exhaust from opposite ends of thecylinder 36. This valve is mounted upon a bracket 63 which is secured toa band 54 that is clamped around one of the press tie rods 3. The valve62 may suitably have a tapered plug 65 having a stem 66. By rotating'theplug 65 90 alternately in opposite directions, pressure and exhaust flowtherethrough may be reversed. Means for thus actuating the valvecomprises a shaft 61 which is connected to the valve stem 68 by means ofa tongue and slot connection, as

6 shown more clearly in Fig. '7. The shaft 61 is journalled in a bracket68 that is suitably secured to a supporting band 59 clamped around thetie rod 3. The shaft 61 is provided with an enlarged or barrel portion10 on which is provided a radially extending cam H. The cam II isdisposed diagonally to the axis of the shaft, which axis is parallel tothe center line of the press, and preferably it is disposed at an angleof 45 to the shaft axis. The cam plate H is in arcuate length.

On the cross head bearing 6 at the side thereof overlying the tie rod 3carrying the valve 62 is mounted spaced brackets 14 supporting a bar orshaft I5. During horizontal reciprocations of the cross head slide 6,the shaft 15 is adapted to be carried past the cam H and control valve52. Adjustably carriedon' the shaft 15 is a pair of operating dogs Hi.The dogs are held against rotation on the shaft by means of an elongatedkey, as shown. A roller 11 is secured to the underside of one of thedogs while a roller 18 is secured to the underside of the other dog. Therollers 11 and I8 are so disposed that they are located at oppositesides of a plane extending radially through the axis of the shaft 61, aswill be clear from an inspection of Figs. '7 and 8. Consequently, whenthe cross head 6 is advanced towards the press container 14, the roller11 will pass by the cam II and thereafter the roller 18 will engage thecam and thereby impart a rotative movement of 90 to the shaft 61 and thevalve plug 55. In other words, with reference to Fig. 8, the cam asactuated by roller 18 will be moved from its full line position into itsbroken line position. On the retractive stroke of the cross head theroller 18 freely moves past the cam and then the roller 11 will engagethe cam and rotate it back through 90.

During the extrusion operation of a previously charged billet, the,feeder mechanism will be maintained by the constantly applied fluidpressure in its charge receiving position in readiness to receive a.billet and dummy block for the next extrusion operation. Upon completionof the extrusion operation, the advanced ram and cross head bearing willbe retracted to withdraw the extrusion plunger from the extrusionchamber. Also, the container M will be shifted by operation of thesealing cylinders 19, the die means will be unlocked by raising thelocking member I I and the die holder retracted or pulled back to thebutt shear 8D in Fig. 1. The dummy block will also be removed from theextrusion chamber and after the butt of the billet has been sheared offthe die holder will be brought to and locked in cooperative relationshipwith the container unit l4 by the press operator. Prior to retraction ofthe plunger, the billet carrier in receiving position will be loadedwith the heated billet and accompanying dummy block. Then, as the crosshead 5 is being retracted, the roller 11 will engage the cam H and turnthe valve to the position shown schematically in Fig. 9. As a result,fluid pressure from a suitable source is admitted past the valve 62 tothe upper end of the cylinder 36 through conduit 82, and the lower endof the cylinder exhausts through conduit 83 through the valve 52.Thereby, the carrier is swung toward charging position B. In order tocontrol the rate of .delivery or swinging movement, an

adjustable throttle valve 84 is provided in the conduit 83 to controlthe rate of exhaust from the cylinder and thus limit the rate of swingof the carrier. When, the carrier reaches charging position, asdetermined by the setting of the stop I3, swinging movement, of course,is terminated, but since the rate of movement is controlled, thetendency for the billet or dummy block to be thrown out of the carrieris eliminated. With the press conditioned for extrusion operation, thepress ram will be advanced, and its plunger engages the dummy block Dand pushes it and the billet into the extrusion chamber. During thisadvance. the roller 11 associated with the cross head slide 6 merelyrides past the cam I i. Then, after the plunger I has advanced so thatthe billet and dummy block are in the extrusion chamber, the roller 18engages the cam H and actuates the valve to its reverse position throughbut slight additional advance of the cross head slide 6. The valvereverses the pressure and exhaust to the cylinder 36, therebywithdrawing the carrier 20 from charging position and bringing it intoits loading position where it remains throughout the extrusionoperation. In order to eifect rapid withdrawal of the carrier, 8, checkvalve 85 is provided in the conduit 83 so that full pressure is admittedto the lower end of cylinder 36 without restriction by the throttlevalve 84, the check valve merely by-passing the throttle valve. Hence,danger of the carrier being engaged and damaged by the cross head iseliminated.

From the foregoing description it will be seen that a simple, effectiveand reliable feeder structure has been provided and which isautomatically operable in predetermined relationship to movements of thepress rain or plunger. Whenever it is necessary to perform any necessarywork on the container unit, such as replacing and substituting liners,the feeder structure may be bodily removed merely by lifting itssupporting member out of the tubular upright 26. Moreover, the carriermay be easily loaded, and the entire feeder structure substantially isdisposed within the confines of the press structure itself, therebyeliminating obstructions and hazards in the vicinity of the chargingzone.

While a particular embodiment of the invention has been described, itwill be understood that various modifications and changes may be madewithout departing from the spirit of the invention or the scope of theappended claims.

What is claimed is:

l. A billet feeder for a horizontal extrusion press having a chargecontainer and an extrusion plunger, comprising a pendulum member, a.

billet carrier pivotally mounted on the lower end of said member at theinner side thereof, means pivotally supporting said member at its upperend for swinging movement in a plane paralleling the face of saidcontainer, means for holding said carrier in a level position on itspivotal axis, means to actuate said member to move said carrier betweena loading position at one side of the press and a charging position inwhich a billet carried thereby is disposed in alignment with thecontainer for endwise movement thereinto by advancement of saidextrusion plunger, and means controlled by the advancement of saidplunger for rendering said actuating means effective to return saidcarrier to loading position.

2. A billet feeder for a horizontal extrusion press having a chargecontainer and 'an extrusion plunger, comprising a pendulum member, abillet carrier pivotally mounted on the inner side of the lower end ofsaid member, means pivotally supporting said member at its upper end forswinging movements in a plane paralleling the said member to move saidcarrier between a loading position at one side of the press and acharging position in which a billet carried thereby is disposed inalignment with the container for insertion thereinto, and a parallelinglink connected to said carrier and said supporting means respectivelyfor maintaining said carrier in a level position on its pivotal axiswhile at rest and during movement thereof from one of said positions tothe other.

3. A billet feeder for a horizontal extrusion press having a chargecontainer and an extrusion plunger, comprising a pendulum member, abillet carrier pivotally mounted on the lower end of said member at theinner side thereof, means pivotally supporting said member at its upperend for swinging movements in a plane paralleling the face of saidcharge container, means to actuate said member to move said carrierbetween a loading position at one side of the press and a chargingposition in which a billet carried thereby is disposed in alignment withthe container for insertion thereinto, and a paralleling link connectedto said carrier and said supporting means respectively for maintainingsaid carrier in a level position on its pivotal axis during movementthereof from one of said positions to the other, said actuating meanscomprising a cylinder pivotally connected to said supporting-means anda-piston having a rod pivotally connected to said pendulum member, saidpendulum member, said link and said piston and cylinder means beingarranged in line transversely of the carrier near the end thereofadjacent to the face of said container whereby said carrier in loadingposition is accessible for facile loading.

' 4. A billet feeder for a horizontal extrusion press having a chargecontainer and an extrusion plunger cooperable therewith, an arm memberswingable pendulum fashion across the face of said container, pivotmeans for asid arm member located above and to one side of saidcontainer, a supporting member on the press for said pivot means, abillet carrier pivotally mounted on the inner side of said arm member atits lower end, a paralleling link connected to said supporting memberand to said carrier to maintain the latter in a level position on itspivotal axis, fluid pressure actuated means for. imparting swingingmovements to said arm member alternately in opposite directions, meanscooperable between said supporting member and said arm member toterminate inward swinging movement of the latter with a billet on saidcarrier in charging position in alignment with said container forinsertion therein, means positioned to terminate outward movement ofsaid arm member to locate said carrier in a predetermined loadingposition, and means controlled by ad vancing and retracting movement ofsaid plunger for controlling flow of fluid pressure in oppositedirections to said fluid pressure actuated means.

5. A billet feeder as defined in claim 4 wherein said means to terminateoutward movement of said arm member comprises an L-shaped bracketsecured to the side of said container for movement of said carrier abovethe horizontal leg thereof and a vertically adjustable stop membercarried by'said leg in the path of said carrier for engaging theunderside thereof and affording support to the carrier against downwarddeflection during loading of a billet thereon.

6. A billet feeder for a horizontal extrusion face of said chargecontainer, means to actuate press having a charge container and anextrusion plunger cooperable therewith, an arm member swingable pendulumfashion across the face of said container in front of said plunger,pivot means for said arm member located above said container, a,supporting member for said pivot means. a billet carrier pivotallymounted on said arm member at its lower end, a paralleling linkconnected to said supporting member and to said carrier to maintain thelatter in a level position, fluid pressure actuated means for impartingswinging movements to said arm member alternately in opposite directionsto move said carrier between loading and charging positionsrespectively, in which latter position the axis of said carrier is invertical alignment with the center of the press, supporting meansreceiving said supporting member for vertical adjustments, and meanscarried by said supporting means for shifting said supporting member toa preadjusted vertical position to establish axial coincidence betweensaid container and the billet delivered by said carrier into saidcharging position, said preadjusted vertical position being determinedby the diameter of the billets to be delivered.

7. In a horizontal extrusion press having a charge container and anextrusion plunger cooperating therewith to perform an extrusionoperation, a billet carrier, mechanism including parallel link memberssupporting said carrier for bodily swinging movements pendulum fashionacross the face of said container and for maintaining it in a levelposition, power operating means to move said carrier between a lateralloading position and a central charging position for movement of thebillet into said container, and means controlling said power operatingmeans to limit the rate of swinging movement of said carrier during itsmovement from loading position to said charging position.

8. In a horizontal extrusion press having a charge container and anextrusion plunger cooperating therewith to perform an extrusionoperation, a billet carrier, mechanism includin parallel link memberssupporting said carrier for bodily swinging movements pendulum fashionacross the face of said container and for maintaining it in levelposition, a supporting member to which said link members are pivotallycon nected, an upright mounted on said container and slidably receivingsaid supporting member, means detachably connecting said supportingmember to said upright, and operating means mounted on said supportingmember for actuating said carrier between a lateral loading position anda central charging position for movement of the billet into saidcontainer, said supporting member and said parts associated therewithbeing removable upwardly as a unit from said upright.

9. In an extrusion press having a charge container and an extrusionplunger cooperating therewith to perform an extrusion operation, abillet carrier, mechanism including parallel link members supportingsaid carrier for swinging movements pendulum fashion across the face ofsaid container between a lateral loading position and a central chargingposition for movement of the billet carried thereby into .saidcontainer, a supporting member having a vertical leg slotted upwardlyfromits lower end, said link members being pivotally connected to saidsupporting member, a hollow upright mounted on said container andslidably receiving said leg therein, a cam plate extending across saidupright and through the slot in said leg and having supportportingmember in vertical position, screw means for moving said cam plate toadjust the vertical position of said supporting member, and operatingmeans mounted on said supporting member for actuating said carrier fromoneof said positions to the other.

10.- In a horizontal extrusion press having a charge container and anextrusion plunger cooperable therewith to perform an extrusionoperation, a billet carrier, means including parallel link members forsupporting said carrier for movement pendulum fashion across the face ofsaid container between a lateral loading position and a central chargingposition for movement of a billet and a dummy block thereon into saidcontainer by advancement of said plunger re versible power, operatingmeans for said carrier, means responsive to movement of said plungeraway from said container to actuate said operating means in a directionto move said carrier from its loading position to said chargingposition, means for advancing said plunger, means for limiting the rateof movement of said carrier to said charging position by said powermeans, and means operable automatically after the advancing plunger haspushed said billet and dummy block into said container to actuate saidoperating means in the reverse direction to move said carrier back tosaid loading position.

11. In an extrusion press having a charge container, an extrusionplunger cooperating with the container to perform an extrusion operationand a cross head bearing movable with said plunger, a billet carrier,mechanism including parallel link members for supporting said carrierfor movements across the face of said container between a lateralloading position and a central charging position, means including acylinder and a piston for actuating said carrier from one of saidpositions to the other, a reversing valve operable to direct flow offluid pressure to opposite ends of said cylinder alternately, cam meansfor actuating said reversing valve, and a pair of operating membersadjustably carried by said cross head bearing in position to selectivelyengage said cam means and actuate said reversing valve, said valve beingactuated to one position upon advancement of said cross head and beingactuated to reverse position during retraction of said cross head.

12. In an extrusion press having a charge' container, an extrusionplunger cooperating with the container to perform an extrusion operationand a cross head bearing movable with said plunger, a billet carrier,mechanism including parallel link members for supporting said carrierfor movements across the face of said container between a lateralloading position and a central charging position, means including acylinder and a piston for actuating said carrier from one of saidpositions to the other, a reversing valve operable to direct flow offluid pressure to opposite ends of said cylinder alternately, cam meansfor actuating said reversing valve, means responsive to advancing andretracting movements of said plunger for automatically actuating saidreversin valve, a, throttle valve controlling exhaust from saidcylinderduring movement of said carrier to said charging position, to reduce thedelivery speed of said carrier, and a check valve bypassing saidthrottle valve to effect rapid retraction of said carrier from saidcharging position.

13. A billet feeder for a horizontal extrusion press having a shiftablecharge container and an extrusion plunger cooperable therewith, an armmember swingable pendulum fashion crosswise of the race of saidcontainer, pivot means ior said arm member located above and to one sideof said container, a supporting member secured to said container forsupporting said pivot means, a billet carrier pivotally mounted on thelower inner side of said arm member, means for holding said carrierlevel on its pivotal axis, means mounted on said supporting member toactuate said arm member to move said carrier between a lateral loadingposition and a central charging position in which a billet carrierthereby is disposed in alignment with said container for insertiontherein, a gauge member at said loading position having a vertical edgespaced outwardly from the plane of the face of said container againstwhich edge a billet deposited on said carrier may be abutted to locateit relative to the container prior to movement to said chargingposition, and means for securing said gauge member to said container sothat the specified spaced relation for said vertical edge is maintainedin shifted positions of said container.

14. A billet feeder for a horizontal extrusion press having a chargecontainer and an extrusion plunger, comprising a pendulum member, abillet carrier pivotally mounted onthe inner side of the lower end ofsaid member, means pivotally supporting said member at its upper end forswinging movements in a plane paralleling the face of said chargecontainer, means to actuate said member to move said carrier between aloading position at one side of the press and a chargsertion thereinto,and a paralleling link connected to said carrier and said supportingmeans respectively for maintaining said carrier in a level position onits pivotal axis while at rest and during movement thereof from one ofsaid positions to the other, the axis or swinging movement of saidmember being located above said container at a point substantiallymedially of Planes extended vertically through said loading and chargingpositions, whereby said carrier is swung bodily in an arc of a circleextending downwardly from said loading position and upwardly to saidcharging position.

RAY M. RAWLINSON. LEIGH H. PHILLEO. REFERENGES crrnn The followingreferences are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PA'I'ENTS Number Name Date 1,049,641 Astfalck Jan. 7, 1913FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 589,328 Germany Dec. 6, 1933 447,884Great Britain May 27, 1936 607,929 Germany Jan. 11, 1935 354,365 GreatBritain Aug. 10, 1931

